No Worries for Gastric Sleeve if you want to become Pregnant

Gastric Sleeve is a weight-reduction procedure through surgery. Positive influence is observed on pregnancy. In a study conducted, 70% of obese patients could release a ripened egg after the treatment. The other 30% failed because, they reduced less weight than expected.

This operation can be done by making large or small incisions (laparoscopy). The stomach will become like the shape of a banana after this procedure is completed.

You will feel less hunger after the op is complete, than before. This is because, the stomach is reduced by 25% of its original size. The cost of gastric sleeve surgery can vary around $19,000.

The mortality rate of gastric sleeve procedure is very low as 0.19% on average. The laparoscopic surgery is completed within 2 hours and is relatively a simple operation. You might face little issues like diarrhea, constipation or difficulty swallowing, which is common in any other weight loss surgeries.

Why do you need it?

Obese men and women are more likely to have fertility problems than their non-obese friends. There are also several risks associated with being obese. Obese pregnant women are likely to have minor pregnancy complications.

Their chances are 10 times more likely than normal people to suffer from chest infections. They are 2 times likely to suffer from headaches and heartburn. They are 3 times likely to suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome. They are significantly depressed than normal weight people.

There are also some increased chances of serious complications of being obese. You can get gestational diabetes, Pre-eclampsia, Genital tract infection, Urinary tract infection, Induction of labor, Intrauterine death and many others.

From the above reasons, it is clear that over-weight creates lots of problems during and after pregnancy. In order to avoid such complications in future life, it’s necessary that you perform weight-reduction surgery like Gastric Sleeve before you give birth.

Kathryn Vinson of Austin, Texas

What are the Complications?

It’s safer to say that women with Gastric Sleeve surgery will have less risks than obese women who do not have surgery. But you need to take a few precautions. You need to do a few things differently after the weight-loss surgery is over.

The fewer complications that can arise include internal hernias and bowel obstructions. This condition occurs when the intestines twist and prevent the flow of food and digestive fluids. These symptoms look similar like the normal side effects of pregnancy.

It means that after the stomach is shrunk using this procedure, there is no way to change back to it’s original size. The op creates a relatively long staple line. This presents the increased risk of staple line leaks and bleeding.

What are the Advantages?

Compared to obese pregnancies, women with gastric sleeve surgery have the following inherent advantages. Lower maternal complication rates, including gestational diabetes and preeclampsia.

Better neonatal outcomes such as fewer premature deliveries. Also the birth-weight is prevented from being abnormally less or high. There are also pros of lower risk of developing high blood pressure.

Unlike other surgeries, this method is also restrictive in nature. It means that you feel full quickly. There are no foreign objects implanted in your body.

When to become Pregnant?

In a study done on 52 patients, it is found that pregnancy after first2 years of gastric sleeve reduces the risk of total-weight loss and gestational diabetes. In other words, if you can wait for your child, its better to become pregnant after atleast 18 months.

This is generally needed to cope-up with the dietary changes after gastric sleeve. Since your stomach is reduced, your appetite is reduced, but taste and hunger remains. To adjust these conflicting phenomenon and keep your body’s nutritional needs in line, it’s better you wait for the minimum period.

Comparison with Other Weight-Reducing Procedures

There were different studies done to compare GS to other forms of weight loss surgery. These dated from 2006 to the latest 2014. One can deduce the following conclusions from these studies.

• Weight loss could be as good as or better than gastric bypass and the duodenal switch and gastric sleeve surgery could be less risky.
• The feeling of hunger may be lower after GS than with the gastric band (lap band) or gastric bypass.
• Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) may be worse after GS than after gastric banding in 1 year following surgery, but the reverse may be true after 3 years.-

A study found that, there were NOserious differences between the different types of surgeries done to reduce obesity in women. The study included different surgeries like laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB or lap band surgery), vertical banded gastroplasty (VBG), and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (RGB).

Conclusion

Many female patients are overly concerned, whether to go for pregnancy after gastric sleeve. They have few doubts in mind. Whether it’s dangerous to become pregnant or have to take any special precautions.

It’s safe to conclude that, as long as you watch the quality of your diet, there are no problems, before and after pregnancy, if you have done a gastric sleeve surgery.